The UK Labour Party has pledged to introduce a price cap on touted tickets if it wins the next General Election. The announcement comes as two people connected to a former ticket touting operation were found guilty of fraudulent trading in Leeds Crown Court, a ruling dubbed by the promoter and manager of Ed Sheeran - a vocal critic of for-profit touting - as "good news for live music fans" and "an important precedent in the live entertainment industry".
Labour leader Keir Starmer says his party would pass new laws that would mean touts could only sell tickets for 10% above the face value. He's quoted in The Sun as saying, "Access to music, art and theatre for hard working Brits can’t be at the mercy of ruthless ticket touts driving up prices. Hours spent refreshing ticket resale websites, only to pay through the nose to see an artist you love, is frustrating and unfair".
The commitment from Labour to new ticket touting laws follows the relaunch of the anti-touting FanFair Campaign last year which, for the first time, called for an outright ban on for-profit ticket resale in the UK, similar to the law already in place in Ireland. Labour's plan - which is similar to laws in place in the Australian state of New South Wales - doesn't quite go that far, although it would still greatly restrict the touting marketplace.
The secondary ticketing market is already regulated to an extent in the UK, in no small part thanks to the past campaigning of FanFair and Labour MP Sharon Hodgson. However, last year, the UK government declined to proceed with further regulations that had been proposed by the Competition & Markets Authority.
Labour's proposals would provide that extra regulation. As well as the price cap, there would be a new rule that restricts how many tickets any one tout can sell for any one show. That would be linked to the maximum number of tickets any one person can buy from the primary ticket seller. Ticket resale platforms would also be accountable for the accuracy of information about tickets they list for sale.
The restriction on how many tickets a tout can sell for each show might actually become law sooner. The House Of Lords yesterday approved a proposed amendment to the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Bill which would introduce some extra ticket touting rules, though not a price cap. Although passed in the Lords, that amendment also needs approval from the House Of Commons, where it could be scuppered given the government's current position.
The commitment from the Labour Party on new touting rules has been welcomed by the music industry, including FanFair. Campaign Manager Adam Webb says, “Today’s announcement is positive news for music fans”.
“The so-called secondary ticketing market”, he adds, “is a completely artificial construct and reliant upon a relatively small number of touts, many of whom are based outside the UK, who hoover up tickets before reselling them at profit on websites such as Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg. New legislation has the potential to break that cycle, to put fans first, and to make the UK’s live events sector the envy of the world".
Sheeran's manager Stuart Camp has also welcomed Labour's commitment. “This is fantastic news. We have spent years fighting the scourge of online ticket touting. The impact of these policies should be monumentally positive and help to reset the UK’s live music market for the benefit of artists and their audiences".
Camp also welcomed the ruling in Leeds Crown Court where two people connected to former ticket touting operation TQ Tickets were found guilty of fraudulent trading. Prosecutors said that the company ran a scheme to circumvent restrictions put in place by official ticket sellers, using "corrupted" students and fictional identities to buy tickets from primary sites.
The main two people involved in TQ Tickets, Maria Chenery-Woods and Paul Douglas, pleaded guilty before the trial began. However, their respective spouses, Mark Woods and Lynda Chenery, were also accused of involvement in the fraudulent business and the case against them proceeded to court. Where they were found guilty of fraudulent trading offences yesterday.
The case against TQ Tickets stemmed from an investigation by National Trading Standards, which also resulted in people connected to another touting business, known as Ticket Wiz and BZZ, being found guilty of fraud back in 2020.
Welcoming yesterday's ruling, Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, says, “This is a landmark case for National Trading Standards and I hope this prosecution supports progress towards a step-change in the secondary ticketing market, making it easier and safer for consumers buying tickets in the future".
Meanwhile, Camp adds, “We want to keep ticket prices accessible for as many people as possible and hope to get everyone a good seat at a fair price. Today’s prosecution will help protect music fans and sets an important precedent in the live entertainment industry that I hope will be celebrated by live music fans".
Sheeran's promoter, Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Live, was a witness involved in the case against TQ Tickets. He adds, “Today’s verdict is good news for live music fans, who are too often ripped off and exploited by greedy ticket touts”.
“For Ed Sheeran’s 2018 UK tour we helped thousands of fans at our ‘Victims Of Viagogo’ kiosks at the box office, where we reissued 6300 tickets and helped people get over £600,000 in combined refunds from Viagogo”, he continues. “But this only helps victims after the crime, which is why we welcome today’s prosecution and the strong message it sends to greedy ticket touts looking to exploit genuine live music fans”.